Abstract
Research was carried out on the importance of organic farming practices for maintaining agricultural landscape complexity with consequent benefits for spontaneous vascular flora biodiversity. An agricultural landscape unit (75 ha) composed of extensively used arable lands and grasslands and small remnant natural habitats, occurring among fields or in field verges in the West Pomerania region, Poland, was investigated. Spontaneous vascular flora of extensively farmed landscape was mapped using the topographic method. The examined flora was analyzed in terms of plant species richness and diversity. The following attributes of flora were considered: taxonomic and syntaxonomic diversity, and the share of geographical and geographical–historical elements, Raunkiaer’s life forms, archaeophytes, kenophytes, plants with conservation status and threatened in the Polish regions or countries of the European Union, and ancient woodland plant species indicators. Spontaneous vascular flora included 338 species / 75 ha and represented rich taxonomic diversity: 213 genera, 71 families and 48 orders. The phytocoenoses included 52 plant associations from 17 classes, 23 orders, and 32 alliances of the phytosociological system, including 6 segetal synanthropic communities.
Highlights
In 1989 a market economy, including natural capital, was introduced in Poland
Changes in land use and land cover have been observed in the whole country [1]. They transform the functions of geoecosystems [2] and the agrarian structure of land [3,4]. This is apparent in West Pomerania where large areas of low production ex-arable crop fields of state farms have been changed into mowed fallows, while in the regions with more fertile soils – agricultural production has been intensified [5]
The spontaneous vascular flora of Pustkowie, which is situated in the Drawsko Lakeland, was characterized by high plant species richness and plant diversity for such a relatively small area – 338 spp. / 0.75 km2
Summary
In 1989 a market economy, including natural capital, was introduced in Poland. In consequence, changes in land use and land cover have been observed in the whole country [1]. They transform the functions of geoecosystems [2] and the agrarian structure of land [3,4] This is apparent in West Pomerania where large areas of low production ex-arable crop fields of state farms have been changed into mowed fallows, while in the regions with more fertile soils – agricultural production has been intensified [5]. This has led to an increase in natural plant diversity, like in the case of newly formed grasslands, or loss in plant diversity as a result of agricultural intensification [6].
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